Best travel writing reference books according to redditors

We found 281 Reddit comments discussing the best travel writing reference books. We ranked the 130 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.

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Top Reddit comments about Travel Writing Reference:

u/loversh · 139 pointsr/videos

THIS. Hokkaido Highway Blues. An incredible read, lends a LOT of insight into the culture especially between provinces. Oh, and it's hilarious too.

u/not_whiney · 34 pointsr/todayilearned

I wonder if it is really the "longest continuous walk in Human history" or maybe just the longest walk recorded in a book. Is it possible for someone to have walked from Europe along the silk road to China and back to Europe? I would like to read this and will probably look it up but it is possible others have walked as far, without it being recorded as a feat.


Along these lines: this guy did similar in a small boat.

u/EricHitchmo · 21 pointsr/history

I read The Last Navigator about 10 years ago, I don't remember much off hand but it was very good and about this very thing.

The description from Amazon
>
> As a young man piloting a small sailboat across the Pacific, Steve Thomas developed a fascination with ancient methods of navigation. He learned of a seafaring culture which 6,000 years ago, used arcane navigation arts to guide initiates unerringly across the Pacific wih no compasses, no charts. By the time of Christ, these navigators were pushing on through all of Oceania, populating nearly a quarter of the Earth's surface. Thomas ventured to the tiny coral atolls of Micronesia in search of these mysteries, this ancient language of the sea. There he found the last navigator.
>
> Mau Piailug, one of the last surviving palu, belongs to a dying breed of navigators who used only natural signs--stars, waves, birds--to guide their sailing canoes across thousands of miles of open ocean.
>
> Thomas and Piailug voyage together on the frail ship of human memory in an attempt to preserve for future generaions an ancient, mysterious, and beautiful kinship with the sea before it is lost forever. Theirs is an unforgettable journey.
>

u/Gentle-Mang · 21 pointsr/TheRedPill

I've stated before that I think that TRP goes beyond just seduction.

It's about living in a world that is not what we've been told it should be. This applies to women, relationships, college, careers, accumulation of wealth, travel, Life in general.

Women and relationships - We all know, it's pretty much all we talk about here.

College - The baby boomers told you to go to college if you didn't want to be flipping burgers... Then you went to college, got out, and there are no jobs. Then the baby boomers tell you that you're an entitled brat for refusing to flip burgers. The funny thing is that the people who told you to go to college didn't actually go to college, they started out flipping burgers, but they did it without the burden of debt.

Careers - If you spend the best years of your life sitting at a desk (and you don't make any women co-workers feel at all uncomfortable in any way), maybe one day you may be able to save up enough money to buy a red convertible sports car when you're bald, fat and middle aged, to compensate you for your unfulfilling life. After that you can save up and maybe afford a few years of lower-middle class leisure lifestyle while your body falls apart and you wait for death. Does that sound like a good deal?

Travel - Extended long-term world travel is the domain of the rich and all you can afford is short stints of two week vacations to to all-inclusive resorts before you have to trudge back to your cubical to resume the life you were trying to escape from.

Life in general - Go to work, be miserable, come home, buy something to make yourself feel better, get into debt, have to work harder, become more miserable, repeat. You have to do this because the only thing that can bring you a temporary sensation of satisfaction is some kind of material item. A newer, better item. If you lose an item you lose a part of yourself, because you are the things that you own.

-

I never went to college and I have zero debt. I don't have a 'career' per-se, but I do have marketable skills in web development and design, self taught. I work from time to time to get money which I then use to fund my travels (I'll be in Spain next week). Girls are occasional but enjoyable guests in my life. I own no material possessions other than a bag of clothes and this laptop. I practice meditation and try to incorporate awareness of the present moment into my life rather than dwelling on the past or the future.

If you're interested in learning about how long-term travel is well within your reach I'd highly recommend Vagabonding by Rolf Potts.

In terms of life/spiritual philosophy I recommend authors such as Eckhart Tolle and Alan Watts

u/dmd · 19 pointsr/reddit.com

One of my favorite travelogues is Miles from Nowhere, by Barbara and Larry Savage.

They biked around the world (2 years, 25 countries) in the early 80s. Weeks after returning home, Barbara was killed by a truck.

u/Vovicon · 18 pointsr/TrueReddit

This book: Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong says more or less the same thing.

It's a very interesting read, a quite thorough analysis done by a team of Canadians about the cultural differences between French and North Americans and the misunderstandings it creates.

Their main point is that, the cultural differences between these to countries are exacerbated by the fact most assume these culture should be very similar because "Western".

u/cm1745 · 15 pointsr/AskReddit

Check out this book by Rolf Potts.

Its called Vagabonding and is all about cheap long-term travel around the world.

It was an inspiration for me, and I truly recommend you check it out if you're interested in traveling outside your comfort zone.

It's a quick read but is also filled with many helpful links and real-world examples of what to expect and how to make the most of travelling.

u/thejayharp · 14 pointsr/AdviceAnimals

Vagabonding by Rolf Potts is a pretty good guide on how to make long-term travel possible on a small budget.

Edit: First chapter is available here: http://www.vagabonding.net/excerpt/

u/VIJoe · 12 pointsr/history

The Last Navigator by Steve Thomas. Tackles the pre-technology sailing systems employed by traditional pacific islanders.

Cool stuff.

u/DSettahr · 12 pointsr/AppalachianTrail

> Would starting off one or two weeks earlier make a big difference?

You'll be at the tail end of the SOBO bubble. An August 1st start will likely have you finishing sometime in January, if you keep up an average pace. Getting through the White Mountains (and the Greens) before cold conditions set in likely won't be a huge challenge, but other areas to be aware of include southern VA and the Great Smoky Mountains portion of the AT. Early season snow-storms are possible in both of these areas, and if you're not prepared to at least zero until conditions improve, such a situation at higher elevations in the south could prove dangerous if not fatal. For a taste of what a late-season SOBO is like, I'd suggest reading the Bearfoot Sisters' first volume chronicling their yo-yo- Southbound.

To be clear- I don't think that your time frame adds a considerable about of additional challenge to the already considerable challenge of a thru-hike general, but it does add some level of additional difficulty nonetheless, and you'll want to be prepared for cold conditions accordingly. Don't assume that Summer (or even early-Autumn) conditions will follow you south- unless you're a super hiker capable of finishing the trail in 2-3 months, cold weather conditions
will catch up with you sooner or later as your work your way south.

Will starting 1 week earlier make a difference? Probably not. Will starting 2 weeks earlier make a difference? Maybe... Maybe not. Climate and weather are pretty variable, and 2 weeks may or may not be enough time to stave off the worst of the cold weather. I'd say starting a month earlier would definitely make a considerable difference in the conditions you experience towards the end of your hike. If you can swing 1-2 weeks without burning bridges at your job that you'd rather not burn, I'd say go for it- but if keeping your post-hike employment opportunities open is dependent on you seeing your job through until the end, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

>
I'm going to be hammocking. Should I get a TQ and UQ for summer weather (40º rated maybe) to keep the weight down and switch partway through, or stay with the TQ and UQ that I have the entire time.
> Will a Palisade 30° TQ and 20° Wooki be warm enough, or conversely, too warm for parts of the season?

Those bags are good to start with. Even August can see nighttime temperatures approaching freezing at higher elevations in the Mountains of the northeast. If you carry quilts rated to only 40 degrees I can pretty much guarantee that you'll regret it sooner rather than later.

However, you will also need to switch to an even warmer setup at some point during your hike. If you're still in the Whites (or the even the Greens) when September comes rolling around, I'd think about securing at least a bag liner if not switching to a warmer setup entirely. After the the Whites especially you'll probably be able to breath easy for a few hundred miles until you start hitting higher elevations again in the south. By the end of your trek, you'll probably want want a sleep setup rated to the teens, if not something in the 0-10 degree range, especially since you won't have the added warmth of a tent.

>
Do I have enough clothes for layering? I've got a down jacket but no fleece. Add a fleece layer for fall?

I don't think you'll need both a down jacket and fleece to start out with, or for the first month or so on the trail, but you'll want extra layers sooner or later for hanging out in camp/sleeping in during particularly cold nights. Like /u/SongBirdUL says, have extra warm layers ready to be mailed to you when needed.

I would suggest adding a pair of long underwear (tops and bottoms) to your setup. You probably won't ever want them for hiking in (barring a possible snowstorm in the south) but you'll be glad to have them for sleeping in sooner or later. I'd say you should even start with them- August won't be that cold overall but there will probably be 1 or 2 nights even early in your trip when you're camped high up and you'll be glad you have them.

You'll want pants to hike in sooner or later. Instead of a pair of shorts, you might look into zipoff/convertable pants to have the functionality of both without substantial added weight.

You can probably ditch the bug net. Come August, bugs in the northeast are reduced in most places. The few that are still out and about will be killed by frost before long. (It's light enough that it's probably worth carrying until you're sure you no longer need it, though.)

I would let your rain pants double as wind pants rather than carrying both.

You can ditch the trowel. You'll probably stay at established tent sites and shelters most frequently, and nearly all of these have outhouses or composting toilets (remember not to pee in them!). When stealth camping, it's usually not hard to find a stick to dig a hole with. (BTW, you have the trowel listed twice on your list.)

I would also consider at least a lightweight sleeping pad. As the Autumn progresses, and the backcountry grows quiet and cold weather becomes more frequent, staying in shelters and lean-tos is going to become more and more desirable. You'll almost certainly have at least some cold, wet nights down south where the prospect of setting up your hammock and tarp in the rain is pretty unattractive when there is an empty and dry shelter nearby. EDIT: I see you haven't ordered the hammock yet- if you get the Double Blackbird XLC, it will add some additional weight to your setup (although the lightweight double is only 6.5 ounces heavier than the single), but you can slide a sleeping pad in-between the two layers. This would allow you to use the pad for added warmth in your hammock in addition for comfort in any of the shelters.

Keep in mind also that canister stoves lose efficiency in colder weather. They start to lose efficiency around freezing temperatures, and as the temps approach 0 degrees they can cut out entirely. This may not be a huge issue for you, depending on how quickly you move and the weather you encounter. You can also keep the canisters in a jacket pocket during the day, and sleep with them at night, to keep them warm prior to use to help minimize the impacts of the cold. If winter finds you with substantial mileage remaining, though, you might look at getting a canister stove with an inverted canister design, or an alcohol stove with a primer, as alternatives for increased stove efficiency.

EDIT: One other suggestion- You'll rarely have a campsite to yourself during the first month or so of your trek, but sooner or later you're likely going to experience some serious alone time. Give some thought now to how you're going to deal with that. A light-weight E-Reader with a ton of books preloaded is not the worst idea. There will be other long distance hikers out and about even late in the season, but you may find that it will take some effort on your part to find a solid group to hike with. You'll know who is ahead of you from log book entries, however, catching up to a group that is only 3 or 4 days ahead could require big mile days on your part over the course of even a week or longer.

----------------------------------------------

I hope this helps. Good luck!

u/Lobo_2013 · 12 pointsr/AppalachianTrail

The author of the AT guidebook also wrote a book about his thruhike. He had a wife and kid(s?) at home and discusses this throughout the book. It's kind of dry, but I thought it was worth reading before my hike.

u/Up2Eleven · 11 pointsr/IAmA

Some tips for those considering a trip there:

Always take taxis rather than tuktuks whenever possible, and make sure they use the meter. If they give you a hard time, walk on to another. It won't take long to find one who will comply.

When in the more populous, touristy places, avoid eye contact with anyone you don't intend to spend money with. The tuktuk drivers, touts, etc will flock to you if you look at them or respond in any way. It feels rude, but ignore them completely.

Read these 2 books: Vagabonding by Rolf Potts and The World Awaits by Paul Otteson.

Spend a lot of time on travelfish.org and the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree Forum before you go. Lots of great advice and information there.

Learn a little of the language. Even "thank you" will do wonders.

u/JaseAndrews · 9 pointsr/france

To provide you a serious answer, I recommend this book: https://www.amazon.com/Sixty-Million-Frenchmen-Cant-Wrong/dp/1402200455

I read it before coming to France and it gave me a surprising amount of insight into the French mindset. It helped me understand how to interpret certain actions and behaviors that I wasn't accustomed to.

u/my_dude__ · 9 pointsr/minimalist

r/digitalnomad

You've earned the gift every lurker on that sub, myself included, dreams of. Sure, you may still need to work, but you can work from anywhere with a half decent internet connection. Travel, experience the world in a way most people aren't fortunate enough to be able to. Hop on Airbnb, type in a destination you've always wanted to go to, and set your dates for the entire month of May. You've hit the jackpot, congratulations. Vagabonding is a great book on the topic. Rolf Potts' other book, Marco Polo Didn't Go There is also a phenomenal read.

r/onebag if you want to get extra obnoxious (in a good way!) about how little you own.

r/vandwellers if you want to travel the US in a van.

u/[deleted] · 9 pointsr/minimalism

If you are hoping for a piece of paper at the end of all that learning (which you may not feel you need, but can be handy to have, especially if you're putting in the work for classes), moving every semester is going to hell when it comes to transferring credits. I would also question if you could just show up at a place, take 1 semester of classes, and get a diploma with everything else as transfer credits.

You can live pretty cheap in college, even with a place. I knew a guy who would work at a pizza place for a month, then live off that cash for the next 6 months. Then he'd go back for another month and make more pizzas. All he did was with his days was train to fight.

As for the saving $500 on rent... get some roommates. The most expensive place I lived in college was $380 and that place was considered high end. I had 4 roommates though. The cheapest place I lived I paid $145/month and it wasn't a bad place either. Obviously, it depends on where you live, but roommates make all the difference.

You can only crash at your friends place for so long before they start getting pissed that you're just free loading. They will kick you out or ask you to start paying to rent out the couch. I stayed on someone's couch for a couple weeks after I graduated... it wasn't planned, it just kind of happened. After a while I felt like if I stayed any longer I should really start contributing. I'm sure the car thing would get old quick... especially if/when a cop knocks on your window. He will assume you were drunk and passed out in your car. I don't think telling him you're homeless will play that much better.

College is one of those rare times you might be able to pull this off, but my cautious self would do a trial run for a month before actually giving up the apartment. You can also rent places month to month (if you live in a bad area you can probably even go week to week) and not be tied down while still having a place to shower, shit, and sleep.

I ended up at some ladies apartment last year and it was like a large closet. An air mattress took up 80% of the room and there was a shared kitchen and bathroom for the floor. I'm sure it was cheap as hell and there is no way they were requiring a long lease term on that. It wasn't a place you'd nest, but it's enough of a place to keep your everyday life from becoming a struggle.

Personally, I would find much more stress it not knowing where I was going to sleep night to night and everything else than I would having to worry about a month to month lease.

I think it would be an interesting experience, but I don't think you'll truly know what it's like to be homeless if you still have a job and are banking money. You always have an easy out if need be. Also be careful with your friends. You run the risk of ostracizing yourself.

If you want to live out of 2 bags without a home, don't tie yourself down to university... travel. Maybe live normally, but cheaply and minimally during university. Once you finish, take that money you saved by living that way and travel with your 2 bags (or one). You'll get much more out of the experience. Read the book Vagabonding; it may inspire you.

Just my 2 cents.

u/vtandback · 9 pointsr/AppalachianTrail

Have you heard of the barefoot sisters? Isis and Jackrabbit yo-yo hiked the AT barefoot! (ME>GA>ME). They have a book about their journey, might be worth checking out.

u/garmachi · 9 pointsr/AppalachianTrail

Congratulations! That time is going to pass much quicker than it seems now. You'll be on trail before you know it!

Since it's on topic, does anyone mind if I pimp my own work? I hiked in 2014 and last year published "Where's the Next Shelter?" It seems like there are plenty of books already that depict the hike diary style. "Day 42, 18 miles. Oatmeal again." I wanted to tell it as a story. It's the true account of my hike, but it's written with dialog and characters, and a distinct beginning, middle and end.

Plus it's funny! There are plenty of serious parts, but overall I wanted a tone that entertained as well as educated. Seems to have worked if the reviews are honest. (There's an audio version too.)

Another one I highly recommend is Appalachian Trials by Zach Davis. Very comprehensive guide for mental preparation, as well as gear and stuff. Cheap, quick read, easy to find. Nice guy too!

u/Iskandar11 · 8 pointsr/AskReddit
u/soundslikepuget · 7 pointsr/MapPorn

There's a great book by Kansas author William Least Heat Moon called "River Horse" where he takes his boat Nikawa from the Atlantic Ocean at NYC to the Pacific at Portland Oregon via America's lakes and rivers. All told he has the boat on a trailer for something like 28 miles. They use a canoe and a jet boat at parts, but 90% of the journey is aboard Nikawa ('River Horse') through America's rivers. Great read. http://www.amazon.com/River-Horse-Logbook-Boat-Across-America/dp/0140298606 Sorry for not formatting the link I'm late for my bus

u/mistyriver · 7 pointsr/bicycling

I just spent a week on each of four different Hawaiian islands. It is summertime even in February there.

  • Allot space in your panniers for water, or make sure you bring a little bleach or iodine water purification tablets. I figured that I needed to carry nearly four liters of water on me for a hard day of riding in the Hawaiian heat.

  • Be realistic about how far you're going to travel each day... do a couple test trips first to see what your endurance level is.

  • Bring extra brackets for the rack. I had to buy a whole new rack just because of a broken bracket which attaches between the rack and the seatpost.

  • If you're not packing a full tent, make sure you bring mosquito netting, and know how to use it. I discovered that my bivvy sack was very uncomfortable, and usually ended up using it as a makeshift groundcloth, instead. Avoid camping any place with standing water nearby. I definitely preferred sleeping in an open grassy area with a good stiff breeze all night long, to sleeping in a forested area.

  • Think about how you'll deal with rain. This was an ongoing trial for me in Hawaii... I often would spend mornings at the laundromat rewashing and drying my clothes after a night-time rainstorm. One problem I found was that while you sleep you can get almost as wet from condensation as you can from the rainstorm, even if you are safely under a sheet of plastic.

  • Make sure you know how to comfortably maintain your electrolyte level as you drink all that water. There was some great salty asian fruit leather in Hawaii marketed under the "Li Hing" brand which I discovered that was ideal for this.

  • Make sure you give yourself an hour and a half of daylight to find a good campspot. If you don't, you'll often wake up to find that you've slept in some pretty un-ideal situations. You should be ok anywhere out of sight on public land or on private land that doesn't have "no trespassing" signage. My rule was that after I had established my campspot, I would arrive after dark, and leave before dawn. If my campsite was in the line of sight from houses, I wouldn't use any light. Beach campsites also had the added benefit of masking sound. I always avoided public campgrounds where you have to buy a permit. As a bicyclist with all my gear I would have been pretty vulnerable to thievery there. Some of the best spots I found to camp were county and state parks which were ostensibly closed to the public after dark. They were quiet and deserted, had all the facilities I needed and were usually very picturesque.

  • Sleeping underneath a tree helps prevent you getting dewed on during the night.

  • If you're only going for a week, and you are fastiduous about your gear, you probably won't lose anything. Yet and still, before your trip think to yourself: "what happens if I lose bag a b or c?" Make sure you have enough gear to keep going, and alternate ways of getting money to use.

  • Think about what you'll do if individual tools or gear break or get lost. I was surprised to discover that a little sewing kit was one of the most important things I had brought with me. I also was glad to have brought a lot of little replacement pieces for various things.

  • Black is a very good color. It doesn't show the dirt, and it's hard to see at night - which is nice if you're trying to be discreet. If you're in a temperate climate black clothing will help you warm up on a cold morning.

  • Figure out how you're going to wash up. In Hawaii, every beach park has free showers. That was a really great boon.

    I found I spent an average of about $30 a day through the month, mostly because of daily little emergencies that would crop up... (eg I had to buy new brake pads, or i needed to have my wheel trued, or I needed to do laundry after a rain... etcetera). It turned out to be more expensive than I thought. I also ended up losing a lot of valuables in the last week of the trip to a thief - including my camera and all my vacation photos.

    There was a great book I read when I was a child called "Miles From Nowhere" about a couple who went on a round-the-world bicycle trip. I'd highly recommend it.

u/Corican · 7 pointsr/backpacking

I HIGHLY recommend this book.

u/pgaf · 7 pointsr/travel

Read this book: Vagabonding by Rolf Potts

u/jimfields · 7 pointsr/China
u/salvadors · 6 pointsr/wanderlust

Ralph Potts' "Vagabonding" is pretty good:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0812992180

u/MtnLsr · 5 pointsr/xxfitness

I'm all about biking! :) This book sparked this utterly MAGICAL idea while I was a teenager that if I had a bike and just kept at it I could go ANYWHERE, but my parents weren't even remotely interested and I was broke and had a few other adventures over a couple years. It wasn't until I scraped up enough money in my first year of college before I bought my first bike. That was over 25 years ago, and I'm still riding around every chance I get.

But yeah, you just have to give things a whirl and see where they take you, sometimes more than once to really get a feel for it. I went to multiple 'aerobic classes' at various places back in the day and found I detested every minute- I'm hopelessly uncoordinated and self conscious enough already. Lifting, cardio machines, etc on my own.... that's more my speed as far as the gym goes.

My real love is being outside though. The longer the better.

u/TicklishOwl · 5 pointsr/AppalachianTrail

Where's the Next Shelter? - Gary Sizer.

The audio book is free and narrated by the author himself.

u/Mickeymackey · 5 pointsr/technology

This isn't new though, it's a common tip in many travel books, Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel by Rolf Potts is one And that's from 2002, theres a website that it talks about on it that does the same thing. I forget what it's called, I got it for my sister last year.

Edit: ridiculous late night mistakes, book title and link

u/parcivale · 5 pointsr/japan

The Road to Sata and I second the Will Ferguson book.

u/evacsm · 5 pointsr/IAmA

Here is a book on vagabonding. Pretty much how to long term travel in very much a way this guy did. Its an inspiring read.

u/StinkyFangers · 4 pointsr/solotravel

I'm glad you enjoyed my comment. I definitely agree with you about this sub. There seems to be something inherently inspirational about traveling and I think that it has to do with the fact that, often, the decision to drop everything and travel is such a personal one and often comes from some type of larger perspective about what life means.

Have fun on your travels!

If you're looking for a great traveling book - Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel was the best that I found.

https://www.amazon.com/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-Term-Travel/dp/0812992180

Really shows you that it's all about a person's the perspective and life priorities. If you want to make a life of traveling, it really isn't that difficult - no matter how much money you make.

u/hateur · 4 pointsr/AskReddit

A few points from Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong, a book about cultural differences between Americans (and English-speaking nations in general) and the French:

  1. The French appreciate arguing and polemic in conversation. This is in contrast to English speakers, who try to emphasize what they have in common with the other person's point of view. This can easily be misinterpreted in inter-cultural situations: Americans will think the French are being agressively argumentative and rude, when they are actually just trying to make interesting conversation, the way they're used to. The French, on the other hand, will find the Americans conventional-thinking and prone to agree with anything, when they're just trying to be "nice" and keep things smooth (of course their opinions can be just as strong as anyone else's, and they can be eloquent in expressing them--they just don't make casual conversation that way; for Americans, it's all about "greasing the wheels" of social interaction).This probably doesn't come as complete news to most Americans (or French), but it still comes as a shock when they first experience it first hand.

  2. The French will correct a foreigner's mispronunciation of French words (or slips in grammar) as a matter of politely helping that person improve themselves. Another big no-no with Americans: such a person would be called a "grammar Nazi" by Internet geeks, but in casual conversation among non-geek Americans, it would be seen as gratuitous arrogance. A (somewhat extreme) example from the book: one of the authors, a native English-speaker from Ontario (the other being a native French-speaker from Montreal, both having had lived two years in France), asks for a bottle of ice tea in a grocery store, in good French, but pronouncing Ice Tea in English (since that's what's written on the bottle). The saleswoman corrects her pronunciation: EES-TEH. So a native English-speaker is corrected about pronouncing two words of their own language by a French person speaking only basic English, with no self-consciousness at all. Amazing as it may seem, the intention was to be helpful, not arrogant. (Not really a reason for Americans to hate the French, but an illustration of how easily cultural impedance mismatch can distort image.)

    (I don't have the book at hand right now, this is just what I could remember from reading it a few years ago.)
u/Jazzspasm · 4 pointsr/wowthissubexists

It was so long ago that I don't exactly recall, other than it became troublesome "causing mischief" and she had to get rid of it.

The book is fascinating to read and well written -https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Mystery-Tibet-Alexandra-David-Neel/dp/0486226824

I might have to pick up a copy, myself

u/unorthodox-solutions · 3 pointsr/asktrp

Go vagabonding. You, a backpack, a bit of cash, no plans.

You'll have enough stories for a lifetime, and you'll live the fantasy of women who obsess over cute, glossy, travel pics on social media (~99%).

u/Heather_VT · 3 pointsr/AppalachianTrail

As mentioned, you should definitely get the latest AT guidebook. You may also enjoy reading Becoming Odyssa, Grandma Gatewood's Walk, and AWOL on the Appalachian Trail. I would also highly recommend Walking With Wired's 2014 AT blog.

u/order66survivor · 3 pointsr/self

I don't think a two week vacation is going to cut it. If that's the case, read this and start thinking about it.

Also, your SO and family probably do not want you to be miserable. People can tell and life is way too short to pretend to be happy.

u/palehorset · 3 pointsr/travel
u/_mvmnt_ · 3 pointsr/minimalism

Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman, Yvon Chouinard's book that's kind of about building the business that is the Patagonia we know today, but is a lot more about his philosophies and ideologies and how we can all be better and do better for our planet.

Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel. A fairly short book that's not some abstract ideas or a story about traveling the world (that's Marco Polo Didn't Go There, which is also fantastic), but an actual how to book on doing it. It helped me, and has helped people I've given the book to, understand that extensive travel isn't just for the ultra wealthy, it is easy to do and achievable for everyone if you make travel your priority.

u/adhochawk · 3 pointsr/backpacking

Have you read Paddle to the Amazon?

u/BlessBless · 3 pointsr/IWantOut

Will start by throwing a few into the ring:

The Beach by Alex Garland - While its plot is certainly limited with regard to imitability, it offers a very interesting perspective on the types of people you meet in the more interesting places you'll travel.

Vagabonding by Rolf Potts - A quintessential nonfiction guide for anyone who's considering traveling long term. It's preachy in places, but it'll fire you up to get moving.

Off the Rails in Phnom Penh by Amit Gilboa - You'll see this one being sold by street children in Phnom Penh often, but it's not too hard to find a copy anywhere else. A really great, enjoyable view of expat life in Phnom Penh.

Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac - On the Road is, of course, the standard American road novel, and Jack's most famous, but the Dharma Bums offers a really unique perspective on travel - that of a spiritual nature.

The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner - Another highly enjoyable read by an author who travels to the world's most purported "happy" countries. Great take on the subject area.

u/mossyskeleton · 3 pointsr/tangentiallyspeaking

In the spirit of Chris Ryan I'll recommend the book Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel, if you're in the mood for non-fiction.

u/jennifer1911 · 3 pointsr/running

Fantastic. I love audiobooks while running. I listened to a good part of Stephen King's 11/22/63 during an ultra last year which was great, and I've been listening to them during training runs for a few years now.

My favorites to listen to while running:
Scott Jurek's Eat and Run. It is kind of fun to listen to a runner talk about running while you are running.

AWOL on the Appalachain Trail. Really great book about a journalist's experience in thru-hiking the AT.

Robert Kurson's Pirate Hunters really surprised me. Nonfiction book about treasure/wreck diving. I was mildly interested the topic before I started listening to the book but now it is a favorite subject of mine.

The Martian. I can't say enough about the audiobook - the story is great and the audiobook makes the experience so much greater.

The Big Sleep - Raymond Chandler, of course. Great, atomospheric noir. One of the first audiobooks I ever purchased. Engaging and makes you forget the miles.

u/tikcuf12 · 3 pointsr/AppalachianTrail

The Barefoot Sisters hiked a good portion of their SOBO trip with a family with several small children, one of whom was carried the entire way. So it's doable, but as has been mentioned, it'd be hella tough with a lot of extra considerations.

u/WavesofGrain · 3 pointsr/AppalachianTrail

The Barefoot Sister's book is pretty good. Also check out As Far As the Eye Can See by David Brill. These two come highly recommended by both me and the trail legend Ernie from Sunnyside Inn in Hot Springs NC, a veritable wealth of knowledge about all things AT

u/lustre12 · 3 pointsr/reddit.com

As a traveller/tourist, I've always tried to stay AWAY from tourist areas, haha. I have friends who go to the Bahamas, for example, and won't leave their resort/casino. My personal best experiences have been in the local communities; you tend to stand-out more (obviously), but people are more curiouse than malicious towards you.

Of course, though, do your homework! Go to traveller's forums, read books, do your research.
May I also recommend this book Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel

u/jcasper · 2 pointsr/Mountaineering

> My all-time fav - minus 180 degrees.

Do you mean [Minus 148 Degrees] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0898866871)?

u/farewellblues · 2 pointsr/japanpics

Eh, it's pretty widely documented how easy it is to hitchhike in Japan.

u/dougbdl · 2 pointsr/WildernessBackpacking

I have always liked AWOL on the Appalachian Trail.

u/whythehellamihere · 2 pointsr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

a mental mind fuck can be nice. [J Maarten Troost] (http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Planet-China-Understand-Mystifying/dp/0767922018/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1OP7GD5DJJN4V&coliid=I2F5TB7WI7X8K1) is hilarious! He wrote Sex Lives With Cannibals and Getting Stoned With Savages that were both great reads.

u/chub79 · 2 pointsr/books
u/mesosorry · 2 pointsr/VillagePorn

His other book, Dogs and Demons is really good. Looking for the Lost is an excellent read that's somewhat related to Dogs and Demons by the author Alan Booth. He walked the length of Japan in 1977 and wrote a book about his travels called Roads to Sata, which I highly recommend, especially if you liked Looking for the Lost (In fact you may want to read this one first).

And if you find you enjoyed Roads to Sata, then read Hitching Rides with Buddha by Will Ferguson, who hitchhiked the length of Japan.

u/hopeinson · 2 pointsr/malaysia

You will not get an appropriate response from denizens here, I suggest that you read this book instead; that way, you will not be buggered into further derision.

u/hulahulagirl · 2 pointsr/suggestmeabook

Vagabonding by Rolf Potts.

u/jaksiemasz · 2 pointsr/travel

I recently read Vagabonding by Rolf Potts, it was pretty interesting.

It's about traveling not a story about travelling though. If you travel a lot you may have already experienced some of what he talks about.

u/saveitforparts · 2 pointsr/MapPorn

Someone gave me an interesting book that documents a guy attempting to boat across the US in a small cabin cruiser. He was able to travel from the Atlantic to the Pacific on rivers, canals, etc with only a brief portage across the Rocky Mountains (And maybe some portages around dams IIRC). https://www.amazon.com/River-Horse-Logbook-Boat-Across-America/dp/0140298606

u/Gorill_a · 2 pointsr/books

Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel It isn't fiction... but I can't think of anything else more inspiring to world travel.

u/grohlog · 2 pointsr/personalfinance

Definitely long term travel. It could probably help you grow more as a person than a semester of a graduate program.
What is your experience with statistics and what are you looking to do with it? There are excellent online modules (I've heard anyway, my stats knowledge came from school) that you can definitely utilize while working at your own pace (even at work during downtime). R is the statistics program/language that is currently most well respected in the statistics community, and it's free. R isn't even really taught in a lot of academic programs as far as I know, all the people I know who are proficient in it taught themselves.

edit: This is a great book about long term travel, he's also done some podcasts https://www.amazon.com/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-Term-Travel/dp/0812992180/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1541349629&sr=8-1&keywords=rolf+potts

u/gonapster · 2 pointsr/travel

you should read Vagabonding.
The book is not long and it has everything you ever need to know. It was eye opener for me :D

u/PaperCloud10 · 2 pointsr/UBC

Could everyone add a quote from the book they're reading? A good quote could draw my interest. Helps me find new stuff to read!

As for myself, I'm currently on Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel. Here are a couple of quotes from said book:

"We need sometimes to escape into open solitudes, into aimlessness, into the moral holiday of running some pure hazard, in order to sharpen the edge of life, to taste hardship, and to be compelled to work desperately for a moment no matter what."

"In this way, vagabonding is like a pilgrimage without a specific destination or goal— not a quest for answers so much as a celebration of the questions, an embrace of the ambiguous, and an openness to anything that comes your way."

u/dnhs47 · 2 pointsr/preppers

River travel today = best case scenario:

“In his most ambitious journey ever, William Least Heat-Moon sets off aboard a small boat named Nikawa ("river horse" in Osage) from the Atlantic at New York Harbor in hopes of entering the Pacific near Astoria, Oregon.”

Whaaat? Across the entire US, by boat??!! NYC to the Oregon coast??

Add the SHTF concerns discussed here and I think it’s on point to your question. (Also a good read in itself.)

River-Horse: The Logbook of a Boat Across America” by William Least Heat Moon.

u/classicrando · 2 pointsr/exmormon

> I'll never meet a guy that will love me back. There's no one that's remotely interested in me. I'm too awkward. Even if I did find a guy, he'd probably leave me anyway.

I lived in SF for a long time and I can tell you that people of all stripes and levels of awkwardness find love, I saw it all the time.

The people at Pixar say things get better:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a4MR8oI_B8

As for your parents, people find comfort in having scapegoats and people who are followers tend to listen to leaders who are happy to supply scapegoats - in the past (US) it was the Irish, Italians, Chinese, Polish, etc nowadays for rednecks it is the immigrants, for flag wavers it is ISIS, for Mormons it is the gays. One way to think of these people is morally immature and easily lead astray by the authority figures they rely on to tune their moral compass. You have to be the bigger man. In this case, yes they are torturing you but it is because they think it is what they are supposed to do. Success is your best revenge.

As far as jobs or education here is a secret - being a middle manager or something is not necessarily more rewarding than being a barista. Honor and fulfillment come from how you conduct your life and how you treat others. Chop wood, carry water there is much to be said for humility and simplicity. You can learn more for free from the best schools in the world on iTunes University than you could at BYU.
https://diyscholar.wordpress.com/guide-to-itunesu/

"Do not let yourself be guided by the authority of the sacred texts, nor by simple logic, nor by appearance or opinion, nor even by the teachings of your master; when you know in yourself that something is bad, then give it up, and accept the good and follow it." -Buddha

You are stuck in a place where people live in a very small bubble and they all believe it is real, it is not and there are many amazing and fulfilling things out there that you should try out before you kill yourself. Here are just three books with alternative ideas about spirituality, philosophy and jobs - you can stop living live exclusively from the POV of the Mormon bubble without letting anyone else know that you are doing it - for now while you are still in prison, once you are out you can be your own man.

http://www.amazon.com/Chop-Wood-Carry-Water-Fulfillment/dp/0874772095
http://www.amazon.com/Wabi-Sabi-Artists-Designers-Poets-Philosophers/dp/0981484603
http://www.amazon.com/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-Term-Travel/dp/0812992180

u/ychromosome · 2 pointsr/AdviceAnimals

Here's something I read in Rolf Pott's Vagabonding that's so obvious, but most of us don't think about: there are people living frugal, yet comfortable, lives almost everywhere in the world. When you visit the place, if you adopt some of the local practices of frugality, your trip suddenly becomes a lot cheaper than you would have imagined when you were thinking of yourself as just a typical a tourist.

The main cost of world travel is the airfare for getting to the place. Once you reach there, you can do as the locals do (who are usually poorer than the average American) and have yourself a frugal trip, without sacrificing the awesome experiences of world traveling.

The book also goes on to say that as a world traveler, you can travel cheap and save your money for an occasional splurge on something unique, than waste it on routine stuff like staying in expensive tourist hotels and eating in tourist restaurants all the time.

I highly recommend that book.

u/mice_nine · 2 pointsr/travel

Ok, I had a similar trip, here's a few tips and tricks:

  1. Take a normal sized backpack like a school backpack. No flags, try not to look too American. Use a small zipper lock. Have your passport and credit cards in a money belt under your clothes. Carry a front pocket wallet.

  2. ATMs will generally give you a better exchange rate. Traveler's cards are good too. Airport exchanges are usually worst

    3)Overnight trains are fine. A little loud, a little bumpy but cheaper than a hotel for a night and you're not missing out on day travel time. I say they're worth it but you miss some countryside so just play it by ear.

  3. Try not to plan day by day too much. You'll know when it's time to leave.

  4. Learn a couple key phrases. If you're honest and genuine people will take the time to communicate with you.

    Other than that, have fun good luck, I recommend Vagabonding by Ralph Potts. Lots of great advice.

    http://www.amazon.com/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-Term-Travel/dp/0812992180
u/icouldbesurfing · 2 pointsr/vagabond

Not sure if this has been posted, but I found this book to be one of tremendous inspiration for my travels.

u/macjoven · 2 pointsr/ADHD

>Wish I could work my ass off for 2 years straight on Vyvanse and earn enough money to "chill" for 6 months and unravel my mind or something.

You may enjoy this blog: Mister Money Mustache which talks about how to do exactly this thing. Also Timothy Ferris' book The Four Hour Work Week. Ooo also: Vagabonding by Ralph Potts is even more precisely what you are looking for.

In short there are a lot of ways to live and if you think of a "weird" way to do it, chances are someone else has too and written a book or blog about it.

u/Lashrael · 2 pointsr/Tulpas

you may be refering to this book by Alexandra David Neel

if you want something of a more primary source think you would probably have to teach yourself ancient Sanskrit and then try and find the teachings themselves. But im pretty sure this book is the book that introduced Tulpas to the west. Hope this helps.

u/Soss · 2 pointsr/AskReddit

Read Vagabonding

Great resource for the whole 'drop my current life to start a new one' mentality, even though it involves mainly travelling the world, not setting up shop somewhere.

u/Gingor · 2 pointsr/AskMen

Look for Vagabonding in Google, there's a fair amount of stuff on the subject.

This is a book on the topic I've only heard good things about.

The basics are: Get the very best backpack you can (try it on first), carefully think about what you really need in terms of clothing (consider the climate you want to be in), at least learn a bit of the language of where you want to be and then look for some hobo-tips on how to avoid most stab-wounds (also, try to look like a tourist instead of a hobo).

Dumpster-diving can also help greatly as it means less money is needed for food.

u/WhoresIsland · 2 pointsr/electronic_cigarette

Absolutely! Check it out if you haven't. I got mine for like 8 bucks on Amazon!

u/MwalimuG · 2 pointsr/PeaceCorpsVolunteers

There's a series called "50 Years of Amazing Peace Corps Stories" that's really good.

One Hand Does Not Catch a Buffalo (Africa)

Gather the Fruit One by One (The Americas)

A Small Key Opens Big Doors (Eurasia)

Even the Smallest Crab Has Teeth (Asia and the Pacific)

u/ibleedblu7 · 2 pointsr/AskReddit

My list:




u/Canlurker · 2 pointsr/travel

Get this book http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0812992180. I wish I would have read this book before I went to Thailand.

u/UWalex · 1 pointr/Mountaineering

> I'd love to find a good Denali book.

Minus 148 Degrees is another good Denali book on the first winter ascent

https://www.amazon.com/Minus-148-Degrees-Art-Davidson/dp/0898866871/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

u/RosscoGiordano · 1 pointr/enochian

Haven't read that one, but you may like this: https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Mystery-Tibet-Alexandra-David-Neel/dp/0486226824

For fun, since we're in the Enochian section, here's my go at The First Key: https://youtu.be/M5F7C3O9LTE

u/Independent · 1 pointr/vandwellers

No. In River-Horse he has a twin outboard motorboat with a pilot house that he and his mate take from the Hudson Bay to the PNW traversing the US E to W with a few overland portages. It has some history about the Missouri and the Mississippi. It's a good read, but I liked his debut Blue Highways better. You'd have to have a lot of money and a deep support network to do his River-Horse journey, whereas the Blue Highways journey path is open to a much wider segment of the population.

u/gmbiiin · 1 pointr/IWantToLearn

Found the title, the author is actually Rolf Potts.

Here's the amazon link for anyone who stumbles through here interested in the book.

u/wolframite · 1 pointr/japan

While it may have been written in 1985, I would say that The Roads to Sata: A 2000-mile Walk Through Japan by the late Alan Booth (also a compatriot of yours) would be a must-read before coming to Japan as you are - for an extended visit. Reading it may inspire you to look up some of the obscure places that he visited - although not necessarily all on foot as he did. Another of Booth's works published posthumously "Looking for the Lost" is also worth a read (not to be confused with Alex Kerr's Lost Japan - which is also decent although I think Kerr's book could benefit from a stronger editor when he delves too much into his pronounced artsy-fartsy fetishes)

u/lestratege · 1 pointr/AskReddit

>I was expecting something else and certainly didn't find it.

So it looks like you are disappointed by the difference between your expectations and reality. If your expectations, as for China, are not very high, then you're not disappointed...

I really suggest you read "sixty million Frenchmen can't be wrong". It explains the whys of French society to Anglos who, because they are culturally not so distant (unlike with China), have so many expectations about French society and when those aren't fulfilled, are disappointed by that fact.

http://www.amazon.com/Sixty-Million-Frenchmen-Cant-Wrong/dp/1402200455#reader_1402200455

u/el_benhameen · 1 pointr/travel

Also, check out this book. A nice guide/inspiration for the whole getting rid of stuff and focusing on travel thing.

u/devlifedotnet · 1 pointr/Advice

Well certainly if you want to go into the computing/IT side of things an apprenticeship or a degree is pretty much the only way in... there are exceptions, but these rely on more right place right time and a big chunk of luck.

My super responsible advice would be, suck it up, get good grades and go to uni, do a vocational subject (e.g Engineering/ Computer Science) and have a decent standard of living (if nothing special) for the rest of your life. But by the sounds of it you are pretty set on going unconventional and to be honest straight out of school is probably the best time to do it (no immediate responsibilities and a good 30-40 years to sort it all out if you fuck it up first time round), so with that i give you the following...

I'm guessing where you say you're quite good at business, you mean you're doing a Business Studies (or similar) A-Level and are quite good at that? There is a lot of differences between theory and practice... in theory everything is easy if you know what you are doing and you know what everyone else should be doing, but academic studies don't always prepare you for real life situations where people "don't play fair". When it comes to setting up a business, you need a great product and a sizeable client base before you even get started.... and that costs money (or a great deal of time which as you will know is also money).

As for you travelling ambitions they also require money (normally).

Now i think you have two options and i am going to recommend you read two books, one for each option (but you should read them both if you can).

First option, you go travelling shortly after you finish your A-levels. You're the perfect age for cheap labour (i.e bar work, retail market stalls etc) and you move from place to place earning enough to live on as you go. To get an idea of how you can do this with little or no start up funds read Vagabonding by Rolf Potts (non-affiliate amazon link) It is probably one of the best non-fiction books ever written and is regarded by many to be the bible of traveling. You can alway come back and return to the conventional life after that.

The second option, and in my opinion the best option for you is to start your own business... Just be aware that what you have been taught will be geared more towards corporate business with the aim of getting you onto a business based degree so not all of it may apply (although things like accounting will, you still have to be legal, even if unconventional). This is where my second book recommendation comes in. The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss (non-affiliate amazon link). Again this is one of the top semi-educational books ever written, and provides a great framework (not a step by step guide) for building a scalable business with minimal capital and minimal responsibility as well as some interesting anecdotes (i should point out the title is not literal, unfortunately). I would also really recommend listening to his podcast "The Tim Ferris Show" where he does super in depth interviews with the most successful people (from entrepreneurs to sports trainers to motivational speakers) on the planet in terms of behaviour, routines and personal philosophies, as well as the occasional "who would you most like to punch in the face and why?" question, which is always entertaining. very much worth your time to learn what it takes to be successful.

My final point is just picking up on something you mentioned... having a "basic knowledge of most things" is no longer what we call a skill or a talent... it's called google, and everyone has it.... don't use it as a differentiator between you and everyone else.

good luck.

u/HerpDerpison · 1 pointr/travel

That looks like an awesome book, I'll definitely get it. Thanks! In exchange, for any traveler, I highly recommend Vagabonding by Rolf Potts, and also the website Travelfish which was indispensable when I spent a month in Thailand, and it's great for SE Asia in general.

u/susiew0ng · 1 pointr/China

Read China Underground by Zachary Mexico. Awesome book; one of my faves about modern China. It explains all this kind of gnarly Chinese counter-culture stuff, including the cigarette burns.

u/yeswithanh · 1 pointr/travel

The Size of the World by Jeff Greenwald is the one that really gave me the travel bug. His Shopping for Buddhas is also excellent.

Others that are all pretty light and fun:

  • No Touch Monkey! by Ayun Halliday
  • Tales of a Female Nomad by Rita Gold Gelman
  • Don't laugh, but Eat, Pray, Love is actually a great travel memoir. Not sure why it gets so much hate.
  • Traveler's Tales publishes a few anthologies a year that are always great.
u/78fivealive · 1 pointr/IAmA

I hope I hear more about your thoughts one day in the form of a book. Your's is one of the more incredible travel stories in recent memory. It brings to mind Jeff Greenwald's The Size of the World.

u/SequesterMe · 1 pointr/Washington
u/zakkyb · 1 pointr/solotravel

Maybe read Vagabonding and see if it helps you visualise your trip

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vagabonding-Rolf-Potts/dp/0812992180

u/snobordin8 · 1 pointr/travel

Vagabonding by Rolf Potts is a great read. He talks about the philosophy of travel quite a bit.

u/Backstop · 1 pointr/starterpacks

> because why wouldn't they hold his job for that

I read a book by a programmer that left his job to hike the Appalachian Trail and got it back when he returned. He didn't have the job "held" for him exactly, but he talked to his boss before he left. The boss agreed there was a slow period coming up where they could be a man down and still do OK, and also that it was going to take them months to hire for the open position. The agreement was basically, we'll hold off on hiring your replacement and you have to apply fresh again when you're back, but I can't see why we'd hire someone else.

I also found the book interesting because at the end he said he was glad he'd done it but he was pretty sure that if he could go back in time he would not choose to do it.

u/Jrfitzny · 1 pointr/financialindependence

Out of college, my sister got a job with Edelweiss Lodge and Resort in Garmisch, Germany.

It's a Department of Defense resort for troops- so she gets awesome benefits, and will be able to retire with pension after 20 years. And they paid for her flight.
http://www.edelweisslodgeandresort.com/employment

Not sure if that helps though. Good luck.

I've also heard that the book Vagabonding by Rolf Potts is pretty useful in this type of situation.

http://www.amazon.com/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-Term-Travel/dp/0812992180/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417675510&sr=8-1&keywords=vagabonding

u/FIRExNECK · 1 pointr/AppalachianTrail

[I Hike] (http://www.amazon.com/I-Hike-Lawton-Grinter/dp/0985241500) IMHO paints the best picture of a thru-hike. Though it is not specifically AT, it also has short stories from the CDT and PCT. AWOL on the AT is a decent account of an AT thru-hike.

u/thebockster · 1 pointr/suggestmeabook

Paddle to the Amazon- written by Don Starkell. Don and his son set out from Winnipeg by canoe and got all the way down to where the Amazon meets the Atlantic. It's written in the form of a journal, as he recorded everything that happened and wrote it when he returned. The things that they went through! http://www.amazon.ca/Paddle-Amazon-Ultimate-000-Mile-Adventure/dp/0771082568
He also kayaked the Arctic years after this- I haven't read this book yet but I imagine it would be just as badass: http://www.amazon.ca/Paddle-Arctic-Incredible-Story-Across/dp/0771082657/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y

u/eerF_egnassA · 1 pointr/LucidDreaming

I would be happy to.

https://augtellez.wordpress.com/2016/10/22/the-nature-of-dreaming/

http://www.astralpulse.com/frankkepple.html

https://www.amazon.com/Far-Journeys-Robert-Monroe/dp/0385231822/

  1. Everything is a dream
  2. Everything is real

    The biggest mistake you can make is deciding one of these is truer than the other.
u/subcosm · 1 pointr/travel

Read Vagabonding by Rolf Potts, as soon as possible. It’s full of useful advice for travel, especially solo travel.

u/GullibleDetective · 1 pointr/interestingasfuck

Somehow I highly doubt that Don Starkelll would have approved this method to reach the Amazon from Winnipeg Canada:

https://www.amazon.ca/Paddle-Amazon-Ultimate-000-Mile-Adventure/dp/0771082568

u/10thflrinsanity · 1 pointr/AskReddit

Don't make saving your entire life in your 20s. It's important, sure, but only in balance with everything else, namely travel. It all depends on the lifestyle you want to live when you're old. If you want to be in the millions when you retire, your life will be pretty dull when you're young if you're just making average money, but if you get serious (talk to a financial adviser) about your finances at a reasonable age when say you're 30... you'll have no problem being better off than most who don't. For me, in my late 20s, it's travel, travel, travel. I have a degree in finance, I have a great job right now, but I'm saving up to travel long-term (1+ years) throughout central and south america in just over a year, will possibly teach English abroad elsewhere afterward, namely India. With no real responsibilities I think it's important for Americans (specifically) to live entirely out of a pack on their back for a sustained period of time. No all-inclusive resorts. Go somewhere where your money goes far (most of Europe is expensive). Couchsurf, bring a hammock - no one cares if you set it up between 2 palm trees on the beach - hostels, locals; it forces you to meet people and figure out who you are and what you want to do with your life. You can try to go with a friend, but you will meet so many great people along the way that it's not entirely necessary. It's also extremely cheap to do. Read Vagabonding or The 4-Hour Work Week . But I am one who just can't make up my mind what I want to do in life. Honestly, I just want to climb rocks, but that's not exactly practical since I'm not Chris Sharma . I have some business ideas in the works but I'll probably end up going back to school so I can teach and have 3 months off in the summer, preferrably psychology or the psychology of religion. But I think I could also be content organic farming in my later days... or writing, I write a bunch, and plan to use the trip as the muse for a Karouac-esque tale. See so I have no clue. But that's the fun of it. Just shotgun your interests and figure it out. Love life. Go live it. Don't let anyone tell you you're crazy because your values are different. They will come around. Also, no soda - water, water, and coconut water.

u/groktookia · 1 pointr/AskReddit

You can always afford it if you make travel a priority. You don't need thousands of dollars to travel, you just need a shift in priorities. I recommend reading Vagabonding to help shift your awareness. It'll help you prepare for where you eventually want to be -- living in another country. In the mean time, it'll teach you how to prioritize your life for what's important to you. Maybe that's travel, maybe not.

u/Mr_Saturn_ · 1 pointr/solotravel

if a laptop is completely necessary, bring it, but bringing more SD cards instead will save a lot of stress and worry and potential sadness if something does happen. there's always travel insurance which is a good idea to have anyways but it still sucks to have things stolen and a theft would put a damper on things for sure. plus the insurance route includes the joy of filing a police report in a foreign country and dealing with the claims process afterwards, an avoidable waste of time but an adventure nonetheless. internet-wise a smart phone is usually sufficient and if you need to use a computer most large cities and/or tourist areas have internet cafes and hostels may offer computers as well.

may i suggest reading vagabonding by rolf potts. it's a great primer for travel, inspiring and feel-good while covering all the bases. I always give it a listen before trips, gets me in the zone.

u/Musashi_13 · 1 pointr/japanpics

Alan Booth made a similar observation back in the 80s in The Roads to Sata: A 2,000-Mile Walk Through Japan, finding all manner of rubbish washed up on Japan's western shore.

Shame about the litter, but cool photo all the same.

Best wishes :)

u/NeptLudi · 1 pointr/funny

If you haven't read it, you will probably find this interesting, and helpful.

http://www.amazon.com/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-Term-Travel/dp/0812992180/

And to put things in perspective, most people work their whole life without being able to take 2 months off to travel. Some are able to when they retire, if they're lucky and planned for it.

u/gribbler · 1 pointr/pics

This is a great book to read about a somewhat similar journey though not as much open ocean - https://www.amazon.ca/Paddle-Amazon-Ultimate-000-Mile-Adventure/dp/0771082568

u/MrWitchDr · 1 pointr/AskReddit

1 Read - Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel (http://www.amazon.com/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-Term-Travel/dp/0812992180)


2 Visit - http://www.vagablogging.net/


3 Enjoy

u/wattage77 · 1 pointr/books
u/statusquowarrior · 1 pointr/Psychonaut

Oh Robert Monroe's books are an absolute delight to read. He's very articulate.

In short, he had a business in radio in the 50s. Then he started having spontaneous OBEs. This goes on for 10-15 years, and he wrote down every single experience he had. He then developed Hemi-Sync, a series of binaural beats to help people concentrate, sleep, etc.

Not overly dramatic, very down to earth books. Even if you don't believe one yota of what he says it's still a freaking awesome read. But I'm certain you'll identify with the three books. You have to read them in chronological order, that is: Journeys Out of The Body, Far Journeys and then Ultimate Journey.

Having read these books and some books on shamanism it's very interesting how often the two make similar points.

u/thelandon · 1 pointr/self

You described me in high school to a tee. You are an introvert living in (probably) THE MOST extroverted country in the world. No wonder shit's tough. There is nothing wrong with being an introvert. Please PLEASE watch this TED talk by Susan Cain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0KYU2j0TM4
If there was one book I wish I'd read before middle school, it's her book, "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking". When people say that "such and such a book changed my life" I feel like smacking them in the face - what single piece of advice could do a human life justice? If ever I was to proclaim that something helped NEARLY that much, it's this woman's research.

Also, I dissolved a good portion of my depression by changing my diet. Look at Mark's Daily Apple and soak in as much as you can from that guy:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/welcome-to-marks-daily-apple/#axzz26BkmN7ot
It's probably the purest diet you can follow. However, the easiest diet to follow is the slow-carb diet, which is nearly the same, and much more fun:
http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/04/06/how-to-lose-20-lbs-of-fat-in-30-days-without-doing-any-exercise/
Tim Ferriss, the one who created the diet, has a book I found to be an inspiration, "The 4-hour Workweek"

As far as work goes, you must find something that makes you feel alive! This is easier said than done because our schools and our whole system don't work that way. Ken Robinson gives you the details as to why:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U
You might find his book helpful as well: "The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything"
Also, travel can really clear one's head and make one feel alive. No one explains that better than Walt Whitman in "Song of the Open Road". If you've ever wanted to know how to travel for months on end I suggest the book "Vagabonding," by Rolf Potts:
http://www.amazon.com/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-Term-Travel/dp/0812992180/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1347390437&sr=1-1&keywords=vagabonding

Sorry I sort of went apeshit on you. I'm just excited to share what has helped me. Twenty months ago I went through a similar hell, and the minds I describe really helped me.
I sincerely hope you escape the doldrums.

u/LRE · 1 pointr/travel

Tiger Leaping Gorge still exists? I thought J. Maarten Troost said that the nearby river was going to be damned up and the gorge would soon be a lake.

u/earnest_turtle · 1 pointr/backpacking

Never done it, I'm coming from Texas to try it.

It's one hell of a hike thats for sure, but I don't think its extremely strenuous overall. There are some climbing parts near the end around Glencoe and I think its a bit up and down around Loch Lomond, but overall I think it's supposed to be a bit nice with a hill climb here and there.

Granted, I do backpack outdoors a fair amount and I'm used to tent camping every night. I know the WHT has bunkhouses and hostels all along the route, so you can get a decent nights rest and some warm grub every night. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to tent camp the whole way or stay at some of the places.
You're definitely welcome to join, even if you just want to meet me at one of the towns on the route and hike a day or two just to try it out.

On the entire backpacking/get out note, I think its a great idea. I'm 26, been working since college, and I'm going insane. I think we're all so focused on "save save save/work work work, I'll do the fun stuff when I retire" that we don't pay attention to the fact that we we'll be too exhausted to do anything when we're done.

So I guess my additional tips/ideas are:

  1. When you're on the road, stuff just happens, good or bad, and you just need to go with it. The best things come out of it.
  2. I enjoyed this book, kind of helped me get over anxieties of being on the road for awhile.
    Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel


u/Morrigane · 1 pointr/booksuggestions

Everest: Alone at the Summit by Stephen Venables.

The White Spider by Henrich Harrer.

Minus 148 Degrees: The First Winter Ascent of Mount McKinley by Art Davidson.

K2: The Savage Mountain By Charles S. Houston.

Savage Summit: The Life and Death of the First Women of K2 by Jennifer Jordan.

That should get you started ;)

u/BinLeenk · 1 pointr/DoesAnybodyElse

Read Robert Monroe's books Journeys Out of the Body, Far Journeys and Ultimate Journey. It may help alleviate some of those anxieties.

u/staked · 1 pointr/suggestmeabook

More travel than food, but Jeff Greenwald's The Size of the World is excellent.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/034540551X?pc_redir=1412656929&robot_redir=1

u/JensKnaeusle · 1 pointr/AskReddit

Lots of people do this. You might enjoy reading Vagabonding

u/redliter · 1 pointr/AskReddit

It's not fiction but it's good for traveling - Vagabonding by Rolf Potts